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Dear John,
Idris Khattak spent decades documenting human rights abuses in Pakistan, including abductions committed by the state, also known as enforced disappearances. He worked for Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Last November, he himself was disappeared while driving home from work. It wasn’t until several months ago that authorities finally admitted they were holding him behind bars, intending to charge him with espionage — where he could face the death sentence.
Idris’s daughters still don’t know where their father is, or even if he is safe. Please, join us in sending your letter to the Ambassador of Pakistan: demand the immediate release of Idris Khattak.
In a cruel twist, Idris was likely targeted because he is an expert on enforced disappearances. And Pakistani authorities seem willing to do nearly everything in their power to silence human rights defenders like him. But you and I know that enforced disappearances are a crime.
Amnesty has been able to shine a light on Idris’s case — his daughter, Talia, worked with Amnesty to demand a response from authorities. After consistent pressure, they finally admitted that he was in their custody in an undisclosed location, facing spy charges.
Will you join us to demand his freedom? Send an urgent letter to the Pakistani Ambassador today.
Idris’s case is just one of seven in Amnesty’s annual Write for Rights campaign, our international letter-writing campaign where people send hundreds of thousands of letters to help free prisoners of conscience and human right defenders worldwide.
John, we know that writing these letters matters. They help bring international pressure to demand justice — and they remind these individuals and their families that they are not forgotten. Over the past seventeen years of Write for Rights, Amnesty supporters have taken over 30 million actions and we’ve helped free dozens of people unjustly held.
Idris isn’t just an important human rights activist. His daughters describe him as an ‘enthusiastic but terrible’ cook. He breeds chickens and loves talking to them. He speaks Russian and reads voraciously. His daughter Talia told us, “I only dream of him walking into the room to be with us again. We deserve answers, and he deserves the protection of the law.”
When enough of us speak up, we can secure human rights victories — and we can protect human rights defenders. That’s why I’m so grateful to call on you, John, to help Amnesty win freedom for Idris and so many others.
Thank you for always speaking up when it matters most.
Sincerely,
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